


A Jem By Any Other Name

by VenomEsquire



Category: Jem and the Holograms
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-07
Updated: 2017-02-01
Packaged: 2018-08-29 18:24:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8500402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VenomEsquire/pseuds/VenomEsquire
Summary: When Jem and The Holograms first came on the scene, Raya may not have been the first to know but darn it she fell hard. In more ways than one.





	1. Her First Crush(es)

Raya was seated at her drum kit in the garage, playing along with some of her favorite records. Since she was a little girl, she spent most of her free time at her drums, the one place where she felt she could truly express herself. Her father was very happy with this, one of his hopes was that all of his children would find their passion like he did with gardening. Her mother was happy as well but she often wished Raya had found something… _quieter_ to enjoy.

There was only one thing that could tear her away from the majesty of her drums.

“Raya! Raya! Rapido! Lin-Z’s show is on!” One of her brothers poked his head into the garage during a convenient break in her drumming.  
“Oh! I lost track of time! I hope I didn’t miss anything interesting!” Raya lept up from her stool, her drumsticks falling to the ground with a clatter. The sudden noise surprised her as if she forgot she was holding them. She picked them up, embarrassed to have dropped them at all, placed them back on the stool, and rushed into the living room.

“That was a great tune!” Lin-Z’s familiar voice rang through the house. For a moment, Raya was worried that she missed her favorite part. “And now, it’s time to look at some hot new songs hitting the scene! It’s time to Strut That Song!” That moment passed and she took her usual seat on the couch.  
“First up, The Misfits with their hit song!” Makin’ Mischief!” The song starts up and Raya listens intently, always on the lookout for a new band with a bold new sound and complex music.

‘ _The Misfits aren’t bad_ ,’ Raya had her hand on her chin, analyzing the music. ‘ _But something about them is a bit off._ ’ She concluded that The Misfits would be a band she would tolerate but not actively seek out. This segment has always been hit or miss but she’s found some of her favorite bands from Lin-Z’s show.  
“Up next, The Limp Lizards’ new song!” The beginning of the song sounds exactly like every other song the Limp Lizards has put out. Something about life being trash and like a broken plate or something. Again, not bad but it can get stale after a while.

Strut That Song was coming to a close and Raya got up to go back to the garage, ready to write this episode off as a bust.  
“Hold your horses, folks!” Lin-Z’s voice caused the young Latina to pause. “We’ve saved the best for last! Here’s a brand new band blasting onto the stage with a sound that is truly outrageous! It’s Jem and The Holograms with Twilight in Paris!”  
Raya turned around just in time to see one of the most beautiful women she’s ever seen appear on her television. And the music was so… different than what she was used to hearing. She was hooked immediately and would have gone to buy all of their music she could find then and there if it wasn’t for the next segment.

“And here’s the woman behind the band, the manager of Jem and The Holograms and owner of Starlight Music, Jerrica Benton!” Lin-Z stood up to welcome Ms. Benton to the set. She looked to be not much older than Raya and yet already so successful. Raya felt some jealousy to be sure, but most of what she felt was admiration, encouragement, and, to her surprise, attraction. The rest of the interview was spent with Raya silently watching and getting all the information she could as she wrestled with the new feelings welling inside.

“Well, folks, that brings us to the end of our show. I’d like to thank Jerrica Benton once again for joining me today!”  
“It was an absolute pleasure, Lin-Z! I’m very excited for what the future holds.” Jerrica flashed a smile that made Raya’s heart skip a beat.  
“I can’t WAIT to hear what Jem and The Holograms have in store for us in the future! And thank you for tuning in to-” One of Raya’s brothers changed the channel to some children's show. Another wanted to watch something else and an argument burst out. Raya took this opportunity to go into her room.

“Carmen? Is everything alright? You look a little flushed.” Mrs. Alonso called out behind her.  
“Si, mama! I just think I’m done playing the drums for today.”  
“Are you sure you are feeling well?” Mrs. Alonso noticed something was a little off about Raya. “You usually keep playing your drums until dark!” Not that she was complaining, mind.  
“Mama, I’m fine! I promise! But I was about to go do some shopping. Do you need anything while I’m out?”  
“No, mija. You have fun, ok?”  
Raya nodded and went to get ready to go out.


	2. Made Some Mischief

As Raya was getting ready, her mind was busy trying to work out these new feelings. Eventually, she wrote them off as being attracted to the lifestyle of a rock star or a powerful business woman; neither of which she could see herself being. For now, at least, she was content to help out at her father’s florist business and earning money there. She had enough from that to afford a single or two that Jem and The Holograms have put out and maybe even a magazine. She started her journey to the record store.

When she arrived at her destination, it was a busy scene to be sure. To Raya, it felt like the entire world decided to come to the record store on the one day she went out. Her stomach began to get a very familiar swirling feeling. Fear. Anxiety. Her mind was telling her she didn’t belong here but her feet remained planted in place.

“Hey! Welcome to Jam Town Records, the only stop you need on the road to Jam Town! You need any help finding anything today?” An overly enthused, probably underpaid, floor clerk greeted Raya who tried to smile like she wasn’t startled out of her wits.  
“No! I mean yes, I mean-” Raya never was good around new people, especially ones who started conversation with her.  
“Take your time, our selection can be a bit overwhelming.” The clerk chuckled. “Maybe you’d like to see our new releases? A new Jem record came out a few days ago if you want to take a look.”  
Raya’s eyes lit up at the mention of Jem.  
“C’mon, let me show you the Jem section!”

The pair made their way to Jem’s section of the store. The Holograms may have been a new band but their records have an eye catching display, standing out among more established acts like Luna Dark and The Moss Covered Stones.  
“Wow… She really IS something.” Raya thought aloud, looking at the display with awe.  
“Yeah! If you like lame losers!” A rather obnoxious voice called out from behind her.

Raya turned around and saw an unfamiliar woman with bright pink and green hair and an equally garish outfit on. “I’m sorry, who are you?”  
“I’m Clash! I roll with The Misfits so you can trust me when I say that Phlegm and The Snorograms are not worth your pretty little time! The Misfits is where it’s at!” Clash crossed her arms and shot a smirk at the duo.  
“I… appreciate your information, however I do prefer Jem.” Raya was oddly flattered by this stranger’s compliment although how genuine could it be coming from someone as mean looking as Clash. Her new record store friend, however, was a bit harder to fool.

“Constance, you’ve been doing this for three weeks. As soon as The Misfits showed up, you’ve gone completely insane with ‘Misfits this’ and ‘Misfits that.’” The employee rolled his eyes.  
“Whatever, Freddy. A woman is allowed to her own opinion! It’s just that everyone else’s is wrong!”  
“Ok, first of all, it’s Frankie. Second, this attitude is exactly why you got fired.” Frankie put his hand on his forehead. “You can’t just berate someone because they don't share your taste in music!”  
“No one tells ME what I can’t do!” Clash picked up a cardboard cutout of Alexia Newton-Figg and tried to hit Frankie with it. Thankfully, Clash was quickly subdued by security who escorted her out of the store.

Frankie looked over at Raya, who was trying to hide behind the Jem display. “Hey, I’m sorry you had to deal with that.” He smiled weakly at her, barely hiding his annoyance at Clash.  
“It’s…” Raya pulled herself out from her hiding spot. “It’s alright. Do you have to deal with this a lot?”  
“Not really. I think she’s just bitter that she got fired a couple weeks back. She threw a record at someone who said they didn’t like rock music.” Frankie shrugged. “To be honest, I don’t know why that guy didn’t press charges. Instead, he was just happy she was fired.”

A manager came over to the pair. “Excuse me, miss? Is everything alright? I was alerted to a ruckus happening.”  
“Uh- Yes, sir! It was taken care of thanks to your staff.”  
“Oh, thank goodness. I have no clue who hired Constance in the first place. She hardly did her job _before_ The Misfits showed up!”  
“I thank you for your concern. I think I should be going, though.” Raya looked around, uncomfortable that so much attention was being directed in her direction.  
“Wait just a moment.” The manager paused thoughtfully. “How about half off your purchase?”  
“Oh, sir, I couldn’t!”  
“It’s the least I could do! Constance has been causing enough trouble, now that I have evidence that she’s attempted to assault someone I can finally ban her from the store!”

After a bit more arguing back and forth, with Raya desperately trying to not cause trouble, she relented to the discount. Her purchase was a few singles and a magazine with Jem as the cover story, as she had originally intended but she was left with enough money to buy lunch.

“Y’know?” Raya said to herself as she was leaving the store. “I think this is going to be a pretty good day!”


	3. Their First Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT: On 10-10-2017 I changed the ending of this chapter. I rushed it like nobodies business but hopefully this edit will make the ending more organic.

Several weeks had gone by since Raya discovered Jem and The Holograms and with every new music video premiered and every single released her love for the band grew. With every interview and public appearance, however, her feelings for both Jem and Jerrica grew as well. It was going past admiration but, since Raya had very limited experience with relationships, she was mostly unaware of her crushes. Her mother had noticed something was different but raising three young boys means she has to let some things pass for a while.

Also over the past few weeks she had become pretty good acquaintances with Frankie from the record store. Most of the time when Raya ventured to the record store he was working, be it as a cashier or floor clerk. Today, he was a floor clerk.

“Hey, Raya! Perfect timing!” Frankie called out as Raya entered the store. “I have some really exciting news!”  
“What is it, Frankie?”  
“Ok, so this is really new information but I figured you’d want to know.” He leaned in close, as if preparing to divulge some long hidden secrets. “We’re going to have a Jem signing in a couple weeks!”  
Raya’s face flushed and her eyes went wide. “Jem? Jem is coming here?”  
“Yeah! I know how popular The Holograms are so I suggested it to the owner. She thought it was a great idea, spoke with Ms. Benton herself, and finalized it for 3 Saturdays from now!” Frankie put his hands on his hips, obviously proud of his work.  
“Oh!” Raya managed to eek out. “That’s neat!”  
“Thought you might like that. Now c’mon, let’s find what you’re looking for.”

Raya purchased her selection and started on her way home, the news Frankie told her still echoing in her mind. Jem was coming to her area to do a signing. Someone she kind of knows spoke with Jerrica Benton. Her thoughts were racing at a mile a minute. The chance to meet the Holograms, and especially Jem, caused her mind to race with anticipation.

“Carmen! Welcome home! Did you have a good trip?” Mrs. Alonso was cleaning the living room when Raya got home.  
“Si, mama!” Raya practically skipped through the door. “There’s going to be a Jem signing at Jam Town Records in a couple weeks!”  
“Oh, that’s wonderful, mija! Are you planning on going?”  
“Of course! I’m going to meet Jem!” She beamed with excitement and ran off to her room.  
Raya’s mother turned to her husband. “Cariño, do you think Carmen is acting a bit strange?”  
Mr. Alonso looked up from his paper. “What do you mean? Do you think she is ill?”  
Rosa shook her head. “I don’t believe so. If I had to guess, it seems like she has a crush on someone.”  
Miguel chuckled and went back to reading his paper. “Raya has never shown interest in romance or dating before, I don’t think she’s going to start now.”  
Rosa looked towards Raya’s room, concerned for her little girl and her confusing behavior.

The weeks came and went, and with them Raya’s excitement grew. The night before she had laid out her clothes and what she was going to get signed, planning on being one of the first in line the next morning. She tried to get a good night's sleep but just the idea of meeting Jem kept her up far longer than she wanted.

When she finally got to sleep, a modified version of the _Like A Dream_ video played in her mind. It was mostly small things that were changed, like modes of transportation and minor set pieces. The major change was that, instead of the typical romantic interest, which is strangely enough played by their lighting guy, it was Raya. And, much to her surprise, dream Raya didn’t mind the change. In fact, she quite liked it.

Right before the finale, a banging sound shook her from her sleep.  
“Raya!” one of her brothers pounded on her door. “Mama told me to get you up! It's time for breakfast!”  
Raya rolled over and looked at her clock. 9:45 am. Later than she usually slept.  
“I’m coming, I’m coming.” She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and headed to the bathroom, confused at her dream.

After breakfast, Raya prepared herself for the day, making sure that every bit of her outfit was coordinated to perfection. She couldn’t tell why, but she wanted to look good for the signing. She looked at her clock. 12:45 pm. The signing was going to start at 2. If she left now, she’d be at Jam Town Records at 1. As far as she knew, an hour was perfect to get a good spot in line.

When she arrived at Jam Town Records, it was clear that being an hour early was NOT perfect to get a good spot in line. The line was around the building and clear down the street. That all too familiar feeling welled in the pit of her stomach.

“Maybe… Maybe I should go get lunch.” She left, hoping to wait the line out. 

Several trips back and several excuses to leave later, the crowd finally thinned out. Raya went into the store and noticed that it was… surprisingly empty for a signing going on. In fact, the store was entirely empty aside from a few people browsing and the staff cleaning up. Frankie noticed Raya just standing in the doorway.  
“Raya? What happened? I thought you said you were gonna come!” He walked up to her, only slightly masking his disappointment.  
“It’s… it’s over?”  
“Yeah, the flier said from 2-6. Oh, Raya, I’m so sorry!”  
“No, it’s fine.” Raya hung her head, embarrassed to have made such an error as not seeing the end time.  
“Wait… wait wait wait, I think I can help!” Frankie ran off to the back of the store. Raya followed as far back as she could before a small ‘Staff Only’ sign stopped her. Some muffled talking came from behind the door.

A couple minutes passed and Raya turned to leave, thinking that Frankie wasn’t able to help after all. The staff door opened and a strangely familiar voice called out. “Excuse me, miss? Is something the matter?”  
“Everything is alright. I was really looking forward to the Jem signing but I missed it.” Raya sighed, turning around. Either she did not recognize the voice or couldn’t be bothered to think about who it might be.  
“Maybe I can help with that.” The mystery voice replied. Raya looked up, expecting to see a manager. She was not expecting…

“J-J-Jerrica Benton?!”  
Jerrica gave a small chuckle. “People don’t usually recognize me, especially without The Holograms around.”  
“Of COURSE I recognize you!” Raya spat out. “So successful at your age! And smart!”  
“I’m flattered!” Jerrica’s face got a tinge of blush at her comment. “Not that I’d mind you complimenting me all day, how can I help you?”  
“I… Could you get Jem to sign this for me?” Raya timidly held out her record, which Jerrica gingerly took.  
“Absolutely! I’ll be right back.” With that, Jerrica vanished behind the barrier of the 'Staff Only' sign.

Several more minutes passed with Raya still not entirely sure what had just happened.  
“Miss? Jerrica Benton said you wanted to see me?”  
Raya froze. Standing before her was Jem. THE Jem.  
“Uhhh” Her mind was drawing a complete blank on what she had rehearsed at home. “Hi!”  
“Hi. Jerrica told me that you missed the signing!” Jem gave a smile that made Raya a bit weak in the knees.  
“YES! Erm… Yes I did.”  
“I heard you were looking forward to it, Jerrica filled me in. You’re lucky, I was just about to leave!”  
Raya nervously laughed.

“I have your record right here, _Like A Dream_ is one of my favorites! Who did you want me to make it out to?”  
“Car-” Raya stopped herself. “Raya. Could you make it out to Raya?”  
“Of course!” Jem began signing as Raya stood there nervously. Even if she wanted to say something, she couldn’t. Her brain was refusing to think of anything.  
“Here you go!” Jem snapped Raya out of her trance and handed back her record. “Did you dye your hair for the signing?”  
“No, I-” The younger girl paused. “It has always been this color.”  
Jem opened the door to leave while still looking at Raya. “I love it! It really suits you!”

As Jem walked away, Raya was left speechless. She was able to meet two of her idols in the same day, one of whom even paid her a compliment. Any interactions she had with anyone on the way back to her house were a blur. She knew she spoke to Frankie on the way out of the store but that was about all she could remember.

“Carmen! It’s nearly 8 o’clock! You’ve been out since 1! Where have you been?” Rosa had a mixture of worry and anger on her face.  
“Oh, hello mama. I had nearly missed the Jem signing but then I met her! I met Jem! And Jerrica Benton!” Raya gushed to her mother. “They were so wonderful! And even prettier in person! Both of them!”  
“Well, I’m glad you had fun, mija. But next time you stay out that late, please try to call?”  
“I’m sorry, time just went so fast! But I met Jem, mama!” Raya got a wistful look on her face and her face flushed slightly.  
“I’m happy for you, Carmen. And I’m glad you’re home safely.” Rosa smiled. “Try to get to bed soon, okay? You have seemed a bit out of sorts these past few days.”

“It’s cause Raya has a crush on someone!” One of Raya’s brothers shouted, a snack clutched in his hands as he darted towards his bedroom.  
“Enrique! Silencio!” Mom did what moms are good at, quelling arguments before they start.  
“You know what, mama?” Raya’s face contorted in thought. “I think I will turn in for the night. I am feeling a bit off.”  
“Alright, sleep well.”

Raya plopped down on her bed and took her newly signed record out of her bag, taking a good look at it for the first time. To her surprise, there were two signatures on it.

_To Raya, I’m glad you could make it! Jem!_

_Meeting you made my day! Jerrica Benton_

Seeing that both Jerrica and Jem signed her record made her heart skip a beat and she could feel her face warm. Her mind flashed back to what her brother said and her dream from the night before. All of the events from the past few weeks came rushing back to her mind. Did she have a crush on someone? Was she just letting what Enrique said get to her? Brothers, especially hers, always know how to push sisters buttons. It wasn’t long after she met Frankie that she felt her first pangs of romantic affection, could he be the cause? All the questions running in her head were left unanswered as she got ready for bed. 

She did not have a very good night's sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this took a lot longer than anticipated. I've been dealing with depression hard core lately BUT I got this out! And WOW is this long! I guess I had a lot to say.
> 
> The Jem wikia names Raya's parents as Rosa and Miguel and brothers as Roberto, Aurelio, and Enrique, so I'll be going off those names as canon for the purposes of this story.


End file.
